


Don't Stop Me Now

by addledwalrus



Category: Original Work
Genre: Angst, Brother-Sister Relationships, Bullying, Children, Crushes, Family, Gen, Humor, Hurt/Comfort, One Shot, Relationship Advice, Self-Esteem Issues, Sibling Bonding, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-22
Updated: 2016-11-22
Packaged: 2018-09-01 10:29:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8620975
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/addledwalrus/pseuds/addledwalrus
Summary: Five times from birth to adulthood that Michael bonded with his rebellious older sister.





	

**1968**

Six year old Sharon pouted as she slid out of the back seat, slamming the car door shut to demonstrate her frustration before following her parents into the house.

She cut in front of them a couple of times along the way to get their attention and even resorted to making a funny face while tugging at her pigtails, though it only resulted in a scolding from her father.

As for her mother Judith, the woman was anything but aware of her surroundings as she focused solely on trying to calm the wailing newborn in her arms, drawing on as much experience she'd had with children as possible.

She found it perplexing that her wise and loving mother could so quickly fall under the spell of something that did nothing but cry, vomit and soil itself every few hours.

The answer eluded her for many months, only becoming clear one particular day when she noticed how plump and docile her baby brother had become in comparison to the first few days he'd spent out of the womb.

She crept towards his cot while her parents' were busy in the kitchen and found herself marveling at his large brown eyes and the soft tuft of hair that just begged for her touch.

She squeezed her hand through the bars in order to pat the infant on the head, only for him to wrinkle his face and wail with clenched fists before she could even make contact.

* * *

**1970**

"Shawon!" Two year old Michael babbled excitedly as he waddled across the room to meet her when she returned home from school.

She stopped in front of the living room door in the hope that he could finally succeed in reaching her after all the times he'd either failed or was distracted by something more engaging.

It came as a disappointment therefore, when he abruptly tripped over his own feet and landed straight on his stomach in the middle of the room. Sharon gave a sigh of impatience, though her disappointment quickly turned to sympathy at the sound of him whimpering in pain.

"Don't...don't cry. Mummy's going to be angry if you make too much noise."

As if on cue, he began to cry louder.

She watched the tears flow from his eyes for a few more seconds before she decided that the best solution was to gently roll him over and tickle him until he started to laugh. She never expected for him to resist and kick her in the face for her trouble.

* * *

**1978**

Michael stood warily by his sister's side and could only watch meekly as she confronted the older boy who had been antagonizing him over the past few weeks.

He knew full well that it was wrong to stand back and allow her to face the bully alone, yet his desire to protect himself overwhelmed his sense of morality, leaving him feeling both guilty and relieved that the attention was no longer on him.

After much physical force and uttering of threats, Sharon succeeded in chasing the older boy away and turned around victoriously to look at her brother.

They held hands the rest of the way home and Michael summoned up the courage to ask a question that had been plaguing him for several minutes.

"Sharon?"

"Yeah?"

"Why do you still stick up for me?"

"Because you're my little brother."

"But... but Dad says boys should protect girls..."

"You protecting me?" Sharon said with a laugh. "No thanks. I'd wait until I'm all grown up to think about that."

Michael stopped and stared glumly up at her, before shifting his gaze towards the ground.

"I just wish I wasn't such a coward."

"Mikey..." Sharon sighed as she let go of his hand and referred to him by his nickname. "There's nothing wrong with being one. It's who you are."

"But that's why people hate me."

"No, it's because they're jealous. While they're getting into trouble, you're off finding a safe place to hide so you can fight another day. That makes them upset that they couldn't think of doing it too."

"You still don't get it." Michael protested with a shake of his head. "I don't want them to be jealous of me. I want them to like me because I'm someone they can count on."

"You mean you want to be someone's personal hero? Well, that's why people like me exist." Sharon replied with a grin, knowing that she had just brought the conversation full circle and therefore, won the argument.

Michael simply sighed and rolled his eyes, before linking hands with her again.

* * *

**1979**

"Sharon, are you okay?" Michael asked cautiously as he pushed her bedroom open a little and peeked inside.

"I'm fine. Just leave me alone." She snapped while she sat on her bed and deliberately avoided eye contact with him.

"No, you're not."

"Yes, I am."

"Are you sure?"

A brief silence followed, during which Sharon slowly and hesitantly turned to face her brother. She let out a tired sigh upon realizing there was no fooling him when it came to hiding her personal issues.

"Fine, I'll tell you. But if Mom and Dad find out about it, you're dead. You hear?"

" I hear." Michael agreed quietly before taking a deep breath.

"Alright, where should I begin? Well, you know that I work at that crappy hardware store with all those creepy guys..."

"Yeah..."

"Well, one of them isn't quite as creepy as the rest. He's kind of cute actually and I think he has nice eyes..."

"Oh..." Michael uttered in dull surprise as he realized what his sister was going through. He had spent so many years thinking of her as some sort of guardian, he'd almost forgotten that she was just a teenage girl, as susceptible to infatuation and the idea of romance as some of the ingenues on television.

"I've been spending a lot of time with him lately and he even likes the same sort of music I do..."

"That sounds nice." Michael remarked with a little impatience. "So, what's the problem?"

It was then that Sharon went quiet and did something he never thought he would see her do. He blinked a couple of times to make sure that her blushing face wasn't just a figment of his imagination.

"He's nineteen and I've seen him hanging out with some other girl a couple of times after work. She's taller and prettier than me, so... well, you figure it out."

"You know..." Michael began to answer after a moment's consideration. "If you're really that worried, why don't you just ask him? It sounds like you get along pretty well."

* * *

**1988**

"So, you're an accountant dating a stripper? I can't believe I'm saying this, but I think you've beaten me at the dysfunction game."

Michael put down his drink with a groan upon hearing his sister's statement and realizing there was some truth to it. He still couldn't help but feel a little offended however and decided to think of a clever comeback.

"Well, at least I'm not single..." He countered before allowing a short pause for dramatic effect. "...Plus, she always has some trick under her sleeve, if you know what I mean."

"Whatever makes you happy..." Sharon muttered in defeat before she took a small sip from her glass. "...though weren't you the one who told me that relationships aren't everything?"

"By the way, happy twenty-sixth..."

"Thanks." She responded with gratitude while not really caring whether her brother was being sarcastic or sincere, for his mere presence seemed like a blessing now that she lived alone and spent much of each week working a busy job as a hairdresser.


End file.
